Belarus: we will not give up, says opposition leader after new arrests

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya tells MEPs intimidation didn't work' after two allies detained

The Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has vowed that the country's movement for democratic change will not give up, despite the arrest of two allies working for a peaceful transition of power.

Speaking to the European parliament's foreign affairs committee from exile in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tikhanovskaya said the authorities had responded with threats and intimidation to the coordination council, set up by the opposition to bring about non-violent change. But, she insisted: The intimidation didn't work. We will not relent. We demand to respect our basic rights. We demand all political prisoners be free."